NNK2: Inverse Worlds Postulate
by NazoLuk3
Summary: [SPOILERS, a sequel to Ni No Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom. Years after the final boss.] There are worlds of technology and magic: just like parallel lines, they are connected by a bond, yet they will never meet. But even the smallest change can make these lines cross. Can these worlds avert their bad endings? A grand adventure following many characters, new and old.
1. Act I: i - The New King

**1 - Act I: i. The New King**

Version 1.1, updated 5/19/18

* * *

Despite the fact that Evan himself agreed to this, he thought that the coronation is too early—that Ferdinand is still too young to take the crown. He himself has no right to complain, but young Ferdinand had not experienced the hardships he faced, the emotions he felt. One may argue that his son _did_ peer through his past many years back, but seeing and feeling are completely different things.

He was at his desk filling in the pile of documents full of requests, concerns, and the like, while under surveillance by Doctor Thetis and his beloved, Tani. Evan coughed specks of blood on his hand.

"Your Majesty! Please don't push yourself. I advise you take a rest," Doctor Thetis said. She wiped off the sweat out of his forehead and the blood off of his hand.

"Evan, she's right." Tani frowned. "You've done so much for your people. So much for everyone in _all_ the other kingdoms. You're working yourself to death…"

"Tani, I'm okay," Evan reassured. He wiped his eyes. "I'm just tired, that's all."

"You can't hide it from me," Tani replied. She tried her best to hold back the tears. "I've heard from Doctor Thetis. And we're trying our best to find a cure, so why? Why do this?"

Evan turned away from her gaze. "That's precisely why. I have to do as much as I can before I, before I…" He trailed off. He immediately stood up and walked past the both of them.

He stopped at the door and said, "Make sure the preparations for the coronation are almost complete. I'm going to my chambers."

"Obviously."

Evan, the Pure-Hearted King was at a lost. He wondered what his Chief Consul would do in this situation.

[]

The parade was as grand as the fabled dragon Draigfawrlanlofft itself, capturing the hearts of many people from all walks of life. Practically everyone took a day off—even guards stationed at their posts danced to the music to relax. Those who were unable to travel to the Kingdom of Evermore were able to watch live footage in their Leafbook, thanks to Broadleaf's new streaming technology. Many attractions and performances line up the main road, making one wonder how anyone could move in such tight spaces.

"Can't believe good ol' King Evan invited the entire _world_ to witness his passing of th' crown aye!" A sky pirate laughed as he ate a slice of awwberry pie.

"Yeah, and I thought these sorta things are only for the elite of the elites. Like when Queen Nerea took the throne," a merman agreed.

Prince Ferdinand peered through the window of his carriage, observing the expressions of his soon-to-be subjects: some are having the time of their lives while others looked concerned. "Can Ferdinand even surpass King Evan's achievements?" one might say. "He practically did everything already!" Ferdinand grew tired of listening of such gossip; he tried his best to ignore those same doubts himself.

The horses stopped at the center of Arenella Square, where an elevated stage was placed before the fountain. Ferdinand was escorted out safely, he then raised his arm over his head to cast a shadow over his face. The sun was shining brightly.

And so, the rest of the coronation went all according to plan. The citizens of Evermore cheered and kneeled before their new king. With the passing of the crown finally completed, King Evan, now relieved of his noble duty, announced his retirement and his current plans to be shifted to Ferdinand. "I'll prioritize my health over everything else, I promise," he reassured.

But Tani silently cursed at whoever gods who allowed for this to happen. Evan did no wrong, she thought, and he did not deserve this treatment. She tried to cover up her emotions, but they kept piling up. She did not want to sour a momentous event in history.

Although he had to leave the throne abruptly, Evan wanted to take responsibility for his incomplete projects, but he knew the public would not understand. He would apologize to his son publically if he could. There will be people who would hate Ferdinand instead of him, he thought. At least Evan still had power as an advisor of some sorts whenever his son would leave for international business.

The newly made king stood on the stage before his people for the first time and took a deep breath. It felt strange at first, but Ferdinand was prepared for this day. At least, he think he did. If his father could build a kingdom from scratch as a child, then he certainly can rule at a mere age of sixteen summers. His trip through time five years ago was not for naught, after all.

* * *

 **Hello. My name is NazoLuk3, and the name may sound familiar - that's because 5 years ago, I posted one chapter of _The Return of the Renowned Rouge_ (mispelled Rogue). That story was my spin for a Ni No Kuni sequel featuring Oliver and the gang. Back then, I was very young and had little experience actually writing a story. That story was conjured in my head in about a day or two, and I decided to publish the first chapter because I had this idea for a really cool scene in the story (that I now forgot). Basically, I had to write the entire story just to lead up to this cool part. That was the case for most of my stories, and you could probably notice that trend of incomplete stories after one or two chapters. I won't finish them, unfortunately.**

 **The reason why I return with this story is because Ni No Kuni II did not satisfy me. The plot was okay, if not slightly unrealistic, and the characters, especially the party members, were not developed as much. When I beat the final boss, I still had so many questions and this is the result.**

 **This story aims to answer some of the questions I had while playing the game.**

 **I plotted at least the first act of this story: about 5 chapters were written, but need to be edited. But if I do lose interest in completing this story, I apologize in advance.** ** ** **Note that I did not 100% the game, but I played a fair bit of endgame, so some plot threads may seem inconsistent and canon parts of the game may be butchered.******

 **Thanks for reading,**

 **NazoLuk3 2018**


	2. Act I: ii - New Promises

**2 - Act I: ii. New Promises**

Version 1.21, updated 6/3/18

* * *

King Ferdinand knew that a king's job is the hardest job in Evermore, but he was still astounded that his father built a kingdom and helped people from neighboring kingdoms both at the same time. Who would watch over Evermore while Evan was away? Ferdinand could only think that Evan invited the most trustworthy people inside, but what about dangers from the outside? Perhaps it was a simpler time, where no one in their right minds would dare challenge Evermore.

But monsters of different species usually go hand-in-hand these days, as they concoct their devious plans together in an organized matter. Evan and the other kingdoms are successful to repel these attacks, but the monsters never seemed to surrender. In fact, Ferdinand was mobilized in some skirmishes just last week, before the coronation.

"It's a miracle that Evermore wasn't attacked during my coronation," Ferdinand joked. He was slumped on the throne, exhausted after finishing multiple stacks of paper at his desk.

"No kiddin.'" Lofty jumped from behind. "Flippin' suckers are gettin' stronger by the day, eh?"

"Why won't you just turn into your dragon form and take care of them, Lofty? It would keep my men safe."

Lofty sneered. "Aye, I would if I could. Ask me again when I'm your Kingmaker, eh?"

The room went silent. Ferdinand's coronation was only the passing of the crown. Evan and Lofty are still connected by the lifelong Kingsbond even with the symbol of the bond, the Sword of Unity, was by Ferdinand's side. And because Evan is growing weaker by the day, so too the bond wanes. The only way to obtain a new bond without forcibly removing it would be to challenge the Kingmaker directly, but it is not possible with for such hasty circumstances.

Lofty averted his gaze. "...Sorry mun. I shouldn't have made fun of you an' yur pappy. We didn't even bond much in yur childhood."

"It's fine," he reassured. "I wish I can just venture off like my father did other than for diplomatic reasons. He learned from first experience how the world worked. That way we can know more about each other. Then I can challenge you."

The small fairy laughed. He gave a big grin and folded his hands behind his head. "Chill, mun. I'm sure we can get along well in time, ain't it?" He hopped a bit. "Anywho, it's 'round time for you to visit some refugees."

"Right."

Ferdinand left the castle and went into town. Whenever he was not busy with international affairs, he would make rounds around the palace and the city proper, just as Evan once did before, to make sure everything is running smoothly. Sometimes he would be distracted and try to resolve a small conflict between two men or a help lost grimalkin girl find her mother. Whatever the case, Ferdinand would try his best to fix it, despite Lofty's objections.

And today is no different. Ferdinand and Lofty traveled all the way to the edge of the city walls where the refugees lived. Evermore is a prosperous kingdom, but there are only so much livable land in a given area—some humans and merfolk were given temporary houses to share amongst themselves, but the rest of them stayed outside of the walls in tents by the inner river.

It was like walking in a dank alleyway in the middle of the night; a silent, lifeless part of town at the edge of the walls. There were barely any children playing in the sidewalks, and the people were gossiping behind his back. The rest were indoors, masking their fear and hatred behind social walls.

Nothing changed. Even with Ferdinand's best interests, he could not seem to win the refugee's hearts. Lofty nudged him and whispered, "Go on, then. Give 'em the news."

Ferdinand cleared his throat. "Refugees of Hydropolis. I am King Ferdinand of Evermore. I come again to bring fortunate news."

Restless, the refugees stopped whatever they were doing and gathered in a circle surrounding Ferdinand and Lofty. There were more murmurs as they discussed about their predicament. The king raised his hand and silence permeated the area again.

Ferdinand continued, "As you all are aware, Evermore can only take care of so many of its people within its walls, and thus, is only a temporary home for the displaced. My father, King Evan, was in the middle of finding a new place for all of you while the other Kingdoms Under One Banner will work on restoring Hydropolis back to normal."

The refugees knew in their hearts that it was not possible for one country to take care of another country, but their expectations for a kingdom with high repute overpowered them nevertheless. Collectively, the refugees thought, indeed, it is nice of them to help clean up the soot and ashes and rebuild the capital, but they should focus more on treating them, its people, slightly better. For what is a country if its people are not there?

Ferdinand continued, "I continued negotiating with the other leaders to find if there is any land that matched the criteria I needed."

"Criteria?" a built merman questioned.

"Yes. First, there must be livable land that the other kingdoms have to spare, along with the land having the necessities of life: water, weather, vegetation, and the like. A place not infested with monsters. Second, the land must have nearby sea water because three quarters of Hydropolitans are merfolk, who need to rehydrate every so often."

The built merman was surprised. "W-Well? Did you find a place?"

"Of course ye blue-faced bum!" Lofty interjected. "Why else is he here for?!"

"Eugh!"

"Lofty, please!" Ferdinand said. "Ahem. Yes, there is one place that fits all criteria. And all leaders agreed to this proposal, including King Leander and Queen Nerea themselves. They're currently doing the final inspections."

"Where is it?" A concerned mother asked.

He is still unsure about releasing this information. If he wanted to be just like his father, he would have to face his people (or anyone else's people) and, above all, forget all of his indecisions.

Ferdinand took a deep breath. "...You'll be sharing land with New Allegoria. In Nazcaä."

[]

Nevertheless, the refugees reluctantly agreed to move again. Not that they had much of a choice in the matter.

The process was a long and strenuous one—moving the entire population of Hydropolis is an enormous task that has never been attempted before. The people who escaped of Ding Dong Dell during King Mausinger's tyranny two decades prior, for instance, were few and far between, scattered and insignificant, such that the newly built Evermore welcomed its new residences, both permanent and temporary. The transfer of Ding Dong Dell's refugees is like filling a barrel of water to the brim, while the transfer of Hydropolis' refugees is like refilling an entire lake.

There were several refugees who are old, sick, or in maternity leave that were allowed to stay in Evermore for extended periods of time. Other refugees liked living in Evermore and chose to become a citizen. The merfolk who stayed have to take prescribed medicine as the only alternative for their daily seawater intake, however.

The process to move the Hydropolitans to Nazcaä took time and costed many resources, much to King Ferdinand's dismay. When the people started complaining about the constant rise of taxes needed to build ships and supply the Hydropolitans with food, Ferdinand had to look for an alternative source by looking at the Kingdoms Under One Banner for help. He constantly had to negotiate with Goldpaw and Broadleaf for their ships and airships, and had to borrow the ridiculous amount of wealth Goldpaw had. He would have to use those same resources to start the cleanup near Hydropolis, too, but that would be for another time.

A few days later, in the Evermore Weapon Workshop, a hammer slammed onto malleable metals to bend them into shape. _Cling! Clang!_

Workers were in an assembly line, waiting for their turn to melt and bend the precious metals.

"Pfah!" a young armorer cursed. "Why is Hydropolis gettin' all of Ferdinand's attention? I don't even build ships!"

"Woof! Hold yer tongue, _newbie_! Don't speak of your king like that!" a seasoned armorer barked. "Do you want this place to go under?!"

"N-no. It's just this man's been taking our money and using it not on us, but on them. I have a family to take care of. Don't you have one too, Miss Ah Chu?"

"'Course I do," Ah Chu replied. "Sure, the taxes have been soaring, but I'm sure it'll be back to normal anytime soon."

"And when will that be?" the young armorer retorted. "Ferdinand's borrowed so much money, it'll take _years_ to recover. Pfah, it'll rise even higher, I'm sure of it!"

"Now, little one." A third armorer laughed. "I know it may seem like it, but I think you're over-exaggerating a bit, aren't you?"

All of the workers in the workshop stopped moving, all mouths gaping open at the voice. The voice came from a dogfolk with black fur and short, periwinkle hair. He walked downstairs from the research room.

"W-wait, you're…" the young armorer trailed off. "Master Nu Bi! I-I can explain!"

"You have every right to complain," Nu Bi explained. "But know this: King Evan would surely do the same thing, right?"

"Yeah, but, how do you know? If Ferdinand could do it just as well?"

Nu Bi sighed. "I don't."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"I mean what I mean. But can you at least pretend to have trust? Ferdinand's only king for a few months and he did so much for the Hydropolitans. Doesn't that mean he has the power to change Evermore for the better if he can do it to other kingdoms?"

The youngster paused. "I... I suppose, now that I think about it."

Nu Bi inspected the young armorer's metal ship components. "Your bends have been improving. Heh, all that ship building is not all for nothing after all." He then patted the newbie on the back and looked at the rest of the workers. "Alright then, back to work! Those Hydropolitans can't get anywhere without these parts! King Ferdinand will be visiting Nazcaä soon, too, so make them good!"

 _Clang! Cling!_

* * *

 **Hello again. As you may have noticed, I self-check these chapters grammatically, but not structurally. Yes, I have at some ideas in my head, but I think I'm not conveying them correctly to you, the audience. I'm no writer, but I want to improve concepts like foreshadowing or "show not telling," but it's actually hard.**

 **Also, I have some chapters completed, but I can't release them yet because I need to edit them. They'll be released weekly, if you may have noticed with this chapter. That way I can have time to edit and write more chapters. (I'm stuck writing one at the moment haha. Sorry in advance if I can't finish future chapters in time.)**

 **Thanks for reading,**

 **NazoLuk3 2018**


	3. Act I: iii - Plans

**3 - Act I: iii. Plans**

Version 1.11, updated 6/3/18

Notice: Chapter 2 formatting fixed. Em dashes (—) replaced normal dashes (-) for clarity.

* * *

Evermore's fabled Dispellery resided near the woods by the western walls, comprised of only a dispelling platform and a small, quaint hut. Unlike the kingdom's four main institutions, Master Li Li insisted on a small research center devoid of the technological marvels from Broadleaf. Instead of installing a circuit capable of channeling "optimized magical circulation within the building" as engineer Bracken would have said many years ago, Li Li wanted to harness the earth's own natural energy to power her magics. Besides, Li Li was comfortable honing her own dispelling skills without any artificial assistance.

Only she and Sai Fer, her young assistant and future successor, resided within the Dispellery. Numerous magical dispelling devices were scattered around Li Li's desk as she used each instrument one by one on an ancient stone with undecipherable symbols. Sai Fer studied the process by the sidelines by taking notes in her journal. It was a process not unlike a lockpicker's job—weaving finely-threaded magic to reveal the stone's true contents inside. Finally, with a puff of smoke the magical barrier dissipated and the stone's symbols were replaced with a new set of symbols from some other language: it was filled with curved and zig-zagged strokes both.

Li Li took her eyes off of the stone scriptures and sighed. "Another tomestone with ancient glyphs…"

"That's the fifth one this week, Miss!" Sai Fer said. "Do I transcribe it again?"

"Please do."

Sai Fer went to her desk to retrieve a rather long scroll from one of her jars. She unraveled it to unveil its length to be as long as the entire table and began the transcribing process. Li Li went to her workbench to scavenge another tomestone, but she found nothing new; only the ones piled in the "Curse-Free" bin remained.

But this misfortune became an opportunity, for Li Li's head sparked an idea. "Say, Sai…" Li Li trailed off.

Sai Fer removed her goggles. She then placed paperweights on all four edges of the scroll. "Yes, Miss Li Li?"

"I've been thinking of traveling a bit to find more tomestones to decipher. Goldpaw's library still has dozens that we didn't solve yet, but there's one place I've been interested in a while now."

"And you want me to watch over this place, as usual?" Sai Fer's ears drooped in dejection.

"Well…"

 _Knock, knock._ The sudden noise made both of their ears jump as they turned towards the door. They were not expecting anyone today.

Li Li unlocked the door to see jolly Khunbish all by himself in the flesh. She embraced the fellow. "Khunbish!" she exclaimed. "Nice to see you again!"

"'ello lasses!" he scratched the back of his neck. Sai Fer sighed in relief.

"Are you here to commission for more dispelleries?" Li Li laughed. "The weapons you bring recently are getting harder to crack, but it's nothing that I can't do."

"Har, har! You're right. 'ere, I brought a whole sack of 'em!" Khunbish dragged a wagon full of them into the small shack, like trying to fit a rope into a needle hole.

"Woah!" Sai Fer yelped. She leaned to a wall stacked with books, trying her best avoid the spiky objects while preventing the books from falling. The sack filled the air with a sickening atmosphere, its stench filled with "undeniable curse" all over it.

"Wow, that's...a lot," Li Li said. "All of these were from the monster skirmishes this past month?"

"Checkmate!" Khunbish snapped his fingers. "Weird thing is, is that all of the weapons that we salvaged the fallen monsters from _were all cursed_!"

"That is certainly abnormal..." Li Li stroked her chin. Sai Fer wondered if they could even dispel all of the weapons in a reasonable amount of time. Li Li shook her head. There was no point in thinking about such things.

"Anyways," she resumed. "The commission still stands. Judging by the quantity and complexity of these curses, I'd say...ten thousand guilders."

"And that's half of the commission!" Sai Fer chimed in. "Ten thousand upon starting, and ten thousand when we're done!"

"Oh, damn!" Khunbish cursed. "Uh, keep it on my tab?"

Li Li shook her head slowly. She motioned her hand to pay.

"Aw, can't you lower that a wee bit? You know how most of the kingsgilders are for Aquapolis—or whatever they're called—and th' army's not made of money."

"No."

"You know how close I am to Chief Cap'n General Batu…" he squeaked. "...and we could use more weapons…"

Li Li paused for a bit. She thought she could use this as an advantage and surrendered. "...Fine. But under one condition."

"And that is…?"

"Give me an audience with former King Evan. I don't care how, then I'll cut the price in half."

His face lit up. "Really?!"

"Huh?" Sai Fer questioned. "I thought you're in good terms with King Evan, Miss Li Li? Can't you just make a visit?"

She sighed. "I wish I could, but he's just too sick to move."

"He doesn't want people to visit him," Khunbish added. "Might'a spread, Batu says. But okay, I'll try to get your audience; might take a bit."

"Thank you. And keep it a secret from his son, or the deal's off. It's a perfect time, too. He's leaving for international business."

Khunbish nodded.

[]

Nazcaä was a dead land, devoid of the most basic lifeforms, surrounded by a feeling of dread. An eternal nighttime, with only a cracked purple sky above and pale brown granite beneath one's feet. Ghastly monsters would roam around mindlessly, and the Horned One's corpse would silently tower over the entire continent.

But not anymore.

Former Hydropolitan soldiers were the first ones to be taken aback at the sudden transformation. It was only a few decades ago when the continent returned home and brought notorious monsters along with it. Indeed, like in a history book's depiction of Old Allegoria, New Allegoria is it's splitting image. With the Horned One's curse destroyed, all cursed souls left and plant life infested its dry lands and covered up the Horned One, masking it as a moldy-looking mountain. But there were not many signs of fauna in its ecosystem and the ruins of Old Allegoria persisted.

Once, King Doloran accepted people of all races and strived to make New Allegoria just like Evermore, but only a handful of groups moved in, like the greenlings from Niall's Forest who were interested with how little human interaction Nazcaä had over the centuries. Whatever New Allegoria did, Evermore did better. Doloran rarely visited his "subjects" and instead wandered in and out of trip doors to visit various parts of the world. No one dared to find out what he did, but he was forgiven for his sincere change of heart, as long as he was not dabbling in the dark arts again.

The city of Old Allegoria inside of the Horned One's pocket dimension was sealed away because it is part of an interdimensional space that could collapse in any moment. Since the merfolk of Hydropolis have a strong affinity with water, they elected to stay by the shoreline while the humans settled near higher ground.

"What's the matter, love?"

Leander's eyes widened as he heard the voice of his beloved. He was having tea with Nerea in the rulers' tent; they were supervising construction in one of the many beaches in Nazcaä. Leander rubbed the rim of his lukewarm teacup. He said, "Oh, nothing. I was just reminiscing about the past."

"About your adventures?"

"Mhm. Funny to think Doloran caused chaos a couple of years ago."

Nerea laughed. "Certainly. It's strange to see how people change quickly. Same with our people, too—they were skeptical at first, but they like living here more than in Evermore's edges."

"Yes, but, they don't really like the idea of living in Allegoria's walls, either. It's far safer to stay closer to land than in the shore. Another catastrophe like all those centuries ago could happen again."

Nerea placed her cup down and frowned. "You're sounding a lot like I was back when I lost my kingsbond." She leaned closer to Leander and noticed his weary eyes of sleepless nights and his slightly outgrown hair limping over his shoulders. She placed her hand over his chest.

"What are you..." Leander trailed off.

Nerea hushed his lips with a kiss. He did not reject the offer, and instead, embraced it. It lasted at least an hour for Leander, but in actuality, lasted for a few seconds.

Nerea released herself and said, "Stay strong for yourself. For your people. I'm still responsible for losing my kingsbond and no one, not even Doloran, knows how to return it back."

Leander folded his arms. "That's why I challenged Brineskimmer and retrieved him in the first place. I didn't want you to get hurt again."

"I'm still Queen. I share responsibility too. Lean on me a bit."

Leander did just that.

[]

Khunbish and Batu gathered privately within one of the many of the castle's halls. Even in the most secluded parts of the castle with little to no hall guards, Batu was as loud as ever. His booming voice echoed in the corridor as Khunbish competed for domination, too.

"What's this, Khunbish? You want me to let a girlie in Evan's room?" Batu looked furious. Even with a few stray gray hairs, the pirate chief is still game for a bar fight. "Hell no!"

"Dammit old man!" Khunbish yelled. He motioned his hands violently. "It's not just _any_ gal, Chief! It's Li Li, I say!"

"Who?" Batu raised his eyebrows. They both paused for a second.

"Uh, Li Li? Dogfolk, white-fur, dispelled that weapon you're holdin' right now?" He pointed at the hammer, embroidered with threads weaved within each other in an intricate order. The body was surrounded by tough bones and had the skull of a ferocious monster, perhaps a bull, to intimidate even the most bravest of men.

"...Right." Batu shook his head. "Never mind that! Why Evan though? Lil' Ferdie's the new king, so whatever's her problem should go to him."

"What's all this about?" Another man entered the conversation and coughed. The faint steps stopped and Batu and Khunbish turned their heads to see the origin of the voice.

"E-Evan!" Batu exclaimed.

"Let me hear the details, old friend." He smiled weakly.

[]

Two days later, a silhouette walked towards the rulers' tent in Nazcaä. "King Leander, Queen Nerea," the voice said.

"You may enter," Leander commanded. It was a merwoman messenger.

She stated, "It's King Ferdinand from Evermore."

Leander looked at Nerea and she nodded. "Let's go," she whispered.

He replied, "Yes, let's."

The messenger led the drapes open from the tent and the couple walked out. It seemed Ferdinand had a safe landing as his royal ship anchored in the port of what was now called Little Hydropolis.

* * *

 **I wrote the entire chapter with the names "Aquapolis" and "Bantu." ...And promptly replaced every instance of the word. Also, hope you don't mind the OC, Sai Fer. She serves as the Watson for that part I guess? I don't know if I have any future plans with her.**

 **Chapters will release slowly from now on because I'm almost out of reserves. Improvements are welcome!**

 **\- NazoLuk3**


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